The artist who couldn't draw
Once upon a time, there was a man who was very creative.
He just loved to make things,
all kinds of things.
Roger built websites and dog houses.
He knitted himself colorful sweaters.
He made sculptures out of old tin cans and rusty clock gears.
He recorded his thoughts in art journals
thick with layers of paint and collage.
He had a meticulously designed flower garden.
It was beautiful.
He covered huge canvases with blazing abstract paintings.
Every weekend he took classes and went to workshops.
All his friends and coworkers thought, "Roger
is super creative."
Roger had gone to art school.
He'd studied design.
But he had a secret he'd never shared.
One day a new family moved into the house next door to Roger.
They had a little girl named Zoe.
Zoe also loved to make things, all kinds of things.
She sang songs and danced,
wrote stories and plays.
But most of all, Zoe loved to draw.
She loved to draw everything, dogs and planets,
airplanes and clowns.
One day, Zoe rang Roger's doorbell
and asked if she could draw some of the flowers
in his beautiful garden.
As she drew, Roger brought out some blueberry lemonade
and tiny pink cupcakes.
He watched Zoe and admired her drawing.
Your turn.
Draw a flower.
Oh, no, thanks, said Roger.
I couldn't.
Why not?
I have no drawing talent.
I don't draw.
Just try, she said and held out the pencil.
So Roger drew a flower and showed her.
See?
he said.
I told you.
Zoe smiled and reached into her pocket.
Then you need my magic pen.
She handed him a black pen.
It looked pretty ordinary, but on the side were the words
Magic Marker.
Really?
Magic?
You can draw anything you want with this pen.
But it only works if you use it every single day
till the next full moon.
How does it work?
Just hold the pen in your hand.
Look at something you want to make a picture of
and the pen will start to draw.
It works!
Even if my drawings are bad?
Especially then.
So Roger took the magic pen
and every morning he sat down with a sketchbook
and he drew something.
His shoe, his dog, his piece of toast.
At first, the pen didn't seem to work.
All the drawings were crooked or lumpy.
They didn't look much like his dog or his shoe
or his toast.
Roger almost gave up.
I just can't draw!
he said in frustration.
Zoe reminded him — just slow down, be patient
and wait for the magic to happen.
After two weeks of trial and error,
the magic pen finally started to work.
One morning Roger drew his tea kettle and
you know, it looked pretty darn good.
So he drew his armchair.
Kind of great!
Then he drew a pineapple, his toothbrush,
a TV set, his corduroy jacket.
Magic!
One night the moon rose full and bright over Roger's house.
Roger drew it through the kitchen window.
It was a really magical drawing.
The next morning there was a knock on the door.
It was Zoe.
The magic pen is really working, Roger smiled.
It's amazing!
He showed her all the new drawings he'd done.
Magic!
Zoe cheered.
From that day on, Roger drew and drew.
He drew Zoe.
Her parents.
And all his neighbors.
He drew the sweaters he planned to knit.
He drew his favorite dishes and he published a cookbook.
He drew designs for his garden.
He drew his mailman, his dentist.
And all his coworkers.
He went on vacation and he drew all of Rome.
He drew and drew until one day
the magic pen ran out of ink.
I'm so sorry.
I wore it out, he said sadly as he gave Zoe
back the lifeless pen.
No problem!
she said and handed Roger a fresh black magic pen.
I have lots of them,
and they're all magic!
Hi, I'm Danny Gregory.
I don't have blue hair or a beard,
but in a lot of ways Roger's story is my story too.
I've always been creative, but I was afraid to draw
until one day when I was in my late thirties,
I learned about the simple magic of drawing
and now I know that Zoe was right.
We can all learn to draw..
We just have to get a pen, take a risk
and let the magic begin.
I hope you'll join us.